GAME REPORT

Tanisha Wright made the difference for Kayseri to help them take a 1-0 series lead

A superb second-half and stellar lines from Lara Sanders and Tanisha Wright propelled Kayseri Kaski spor to a 63-50 success against Beretta Famila Schio in the first game of their EuroLeague Women play-off series.

The Kayseri duo were electric as the Turkish side addressed their first-half offensive woes to produce a mesmerising third quarter, which put them in the box-seat and effectively took them to an impressive fifth consecutive home victory.

The pulsating display from Kayseri after the interval was a far cry from a tepid opening twenty minutes, with Schio managing to reduce their opponents to just eight points in the second quarter to take a 29-23 lead at the break.

Kayseri raced out of the blocks when the action got back underway and with the words of head coach Ayhan Avci still ringing in their ears, they flipped the game their way with a potent 15-3 start to the half.

The damage to Schio was done on the glass, with Kayseri doing a much better job at both ends of the floor, but especially defensively.

The Italians tried to haul themselves back into contention, but Kayseri got even better as the game unfolded and they couldn't recover from a painful 20-7 third quarter.

COACH QUOTES

“We didn't play as we know.But we [managed to] balance the game. In the second half we played better in defence. And we need to play better in the next game.”

Sabrina Cinili, Kayseri Kaski:

“I'm proud of my team. We played together and we showed our quality. It won’t be the same [from Schio] in the next game. It will be hard but we will work hard.”

Miguel Martinez Mendez, Beretta Famila coach:

“First I would like to congratulate the home team. We will be going back home being sad. But this is the play-offs and these scores are normal. We played very well in the first 20 minutes but we should play 40 minutes the same way.”

Erlana Larkins, Beretta Famila:

“I felt we should have won this game. This night it was really hard working.”

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COACH QUOTES

“We didn't play as we know.But we [managed to] balance the game. In the second half we played better in defence. And we need to play better in the next game.”

Sabrina Cinili, Kayseri Kaski:

“I'm proud of my team. We played together and we showed our quality. It won’t be the same [from Schio] in the next game. It will be hard but we will work hard.”

Miguel Martinez Mendez, Beretta Famila coach:

“First I would like to congratulate the home team. We will be going back home being sad. But this is the play-offs and these scores are normal. We played very well in the first 20 minutes but we should play 40 minutes the same way.”

Erlana Larkins, Beretta Famila:

“I felt we should have won this game. This night it was really hard working.”